A Sunset Safari in South Africa’s Addo Elephant National Park

A Sunset Safari in South Africa’s Addo Elephant National Park

As golden-hour rays of sunshine cast shadows upon South Africa’s Addo Elephant National Park, we remained cautiously optimistic that we’d spot wildlife. Our open-air safari vehicle rolled through the stunning landscape, characterized by sage-colored foliage and terracotta-hued soil. Water droplets sparkled on the vegetation, the result of an earlier rainfall that had quenched Addo’s parched terrain.

Embarking on the late-afternoon game drive moments earlier, the guide cautioned our group that no ‘Big Five’ animal sightings could be guaranteed. The Big Five, a term originally coined by hunters, describes creatures considered the most challenging to hunt: elephants, lions, buffalo, rhinoceroses and leopards.

Despite the ranger’s disclaimer, the animals did emerge. First, we spotted a quartet of kudu. The animals’ antlers resembled curling ribbon twisted around a gift.

A few moments later, the most observant in the group called out, “Look on the right – elephants!”

Like spectators at a tennis match, we craned our necks at breakneck speed. Sure enough, a pair of young bulls were play-fighting, just a few meters from us. Spotting our vehicle, the elephant youth rapidly darted into the bushes, seemingly worried they might be scolded for being mischievous.

Moments later, we encountered a sweet baby elephant cautiously shadowing its mother. While the mama elephant nibbled on foliage, the little one watched as a paparazzi of tourists feverishly snapped away.

Other sightings included warthogs, elands, a zebra, a spotted hyena, as well as a pride of lions lounging confidently in the distance. There were signs of smaller life too – everything from the protected flightless dung beetle, to massive termite mounds.

Not surprisingly, as life’s best moments often do, the safari passed quickly, and we found ourselves back at the park’s welcome center. Wandering down a flight of stairs leading to a wooden observation deck, I spotted several adult elephants drinking at a watering hole. The lighting was warm, and the elephants appeared relaxed, despite a handful of visitors watching them from afar.

A baby elephant breastfeeds alongside the road.This pair seemed to go about their business, despite several vehicles full of park visitors watching their every move.An elephant reaches for food in the rugged bush. Termite mounds dot the foreground.If you’re as intrigued by these massive mounds as I was, you might enjoy this National Geographic piece about how termites build these structures.

An S-shaped road winds through the park. I think those animals are zebras.When we approached this zebra, our guide mentioned that the animal had been in the same spot for more than one day. He suspected the zebra was not well. When I later saw my images on my computer screen, I could see that the animal’s right back leg looked to have a wound. During the game drive a passenger asked if park personnel would help the zebra. The guide explained that it was policy to only intervene if an animal was endangered. Otherwise, they let nature run its course.The warthogs made frequent appearances during our drive. Here, an adult warthog crosses the road. At other times, we saw babies, too.

Far from our vehicle, a trio of lions reclined among the foliage. Apparently they’d been in the same spot for much of the day.A pair of attentive kudu (left) and a zebra feasting on foliage (right).An eland (left) and warthog (right).

Shawn’s parents, our guide, and me and Shawn.A pair of elephants drink at a watering hole, as the last minutes of sunshine illuminate the park.

Video of this Experience:

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

Addo Elephant National Park is one of South Africa’s largest national parks, and it’s also a sanctuary success story. In the 1930s it was established to protect just 11 elephants, and today it’s home to more than 600! It’s located in the Eastern Cape province, roughly a 40-minute drive from the city of Port Elizabeth. This Addo map gives an overview of the site, and even includes an animal-sighting game.

It is a special corner of the world, Maria. We based ourselves in the Stellenbosch area, just outside of Cape Town. When you go, see if you can purchase Table Mountain tickets in advance. Despite two tries, we weren’t able to get up there via the cable car. The cable car can only run when the weather is favorable, and that means you might need to wait in line for a few hours on the days it is running. The next time we visit, we’d love to hike to the top. :)

What a wonderful experience you had – your photos and descriptions gave us an excellent glimpse into this area! I love it that they protect the dung beetles, which I’ve always found kind of endearing. The Nat. Geo. article on termites was quite fascinating, thanks for that link (and all the others). Great post!

Thank you for your thoughtful words, Marilyn – and I’m glad you enjoyed that piece on the termites. I didn’t mention it above, but during our game drive, the ranger scolded some irresponsible visitors for getting out of their vehicle. He caught them playing with dung beetles out in the middle of the road, but their behavior was dangerous because of the presence of lions, too. Have you seen some dung beetles out in the wild, or did you take a liking to them through documentaries? :)